Question: What's the latest with the investigation and how close are you to an arrest?

Answer: We're looking at different avenues as far as people of interest/suspects and how we're going to go about looking into them, but we're probably not that close to an arrest. There's a couple things that we're working on and we like and think it's going in a pretty good direction. A couple things, we think, have a shot at panning out that would give us something much more solid than we have now.

Q: What have been some of the obstacles to solving this murder?

A: The lack of any type of eyewitness. No one on that block, even though that's a busy block, saw anyone coming in or out of the building. We got a couple of things from the crime scene but nothing great. There wasn't like a great smoking gun from the scene. And he was a private person, so some things in his personal life that he didn't tell people we're still finding out about. A lot of it, though, is the lack of eyewitnesses. Someone out there knows something, and they're just scared to come forward.

Q: Is there a window of time in which you're more likely to catch someone? And does that fade with time?

A: They got TV shows where they say the first 48 hours. I don't know if I'm going to break it down to the first 48 hours but, usually, earlier on you have your best shot. Everything is fresher when you get things back from the lab. Everyone's memories are a little better. Witnesses and possible suspects don't disappear. Things like that. But that doesn't mean you have no shot at it. And that's the mindset we're taking.

A: I've been the case since it started in September '07, and I got two boxes of files on me almost at all times. I was one of the two detectives there that day. My partner (from 2007) retired about four years ago, and my current partner works on it with me now. And I'm also working in conjunction with the district attorney's office, where they have a couple district attorney investigators that help out on some cold cases. We're looking at it together. It adds a different set of eyes and fresh questions.

Q: Have you built a relationship with the family?

A: Absolutely. I have a very nice relationship. I wouldn't say we're in constant contact, but we're in contact an awful lot. I go back and forth a lot with Christine (Stephen's sister). She's like the family spokesman. It's a good family, and they're just looking for some closure.

Stephen Spina was found stabbed to death in 2007. This photo of him was displayed outside his apartment after his death.(Photo: File)

Q: Because you're close with the family, is it any more motivation for you to find the killer?

A: I don't know about more motivation — I would be just as motivated if they were total strangers to me — but it's more personal. He was a local person. He was very popular. I know him. I wouldn't say I was a good friend of his, but I knew him well. My ex-partner was real good friends with him. He grew up with him. And my current partner played softball with him. So it's more personal when you have so many people who knew him well and who I'm real good friends with.

Q: Generally speaking, how do cold cases usually get solved? Is it a tip or good police work or a stroke of luck?

A: There's a lot of things. Tips are obviously very important and, like I said, I think someone out there knows something but is too scared to come forward. I'm hoping if their conscience doesn't get them, the $40,000 reward will. Otherwise, we go back and have the computers re-looked at or go back to physical evidence from the lab. There might be better testing now than there was eight years ago, so we'll get some things retested to see if we can get DNA on certain things. It's a lot of hard work, but you also got to get a little lucky at times with a good tip or get something back that maybe was missed eight years (ago) or there wasn't the technology to find it eight years ago.

Q: How would you describe what it's like working a cold case and what makes working a cold case different?

A: Frustration would be my number one thing. Frustrating that it's taking this long. Frustrating that there isn't a witness. When you work a recent homicide, everything's a lot more active. People are around so you get to talk to more people, and they remember things better. It makes it a little easier to work a current case or current homicide. When cases like this get old you add challenges. Witnesses that we spoke to eight years ago who we want to speak to again might not be around here anymore. Possible suspects are gone.

Carroll asks that anyone with information about the case call him at 914-825-8541.